1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to chemical treatment of wastewater, and particularly to a composition for removal of metal ions from wastewater that is effective for removing such metal ions as Pb2+ and Cu2+ from wastewater and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The presence of heavy metal ions, such as Pb2+, Cu2+ and the like, in natural and wastewater systems is a matter of great concern due to their negative effects on the environment and human health. These toxic pollutants are non-biodegradable and can accumulate in the human body, causing a variety of diseases and disorders. Various techniques (such as adsorption, precipitation, dialysis, ion exchange, reverse osmosis and extraction) have been developed for the removal of metal contaminants from water resources.
One of the most attractive among these techniques is the adsorption process, due to the availability of different types of low-cost and environmentally friendly adsorbents. Inorganic/organic polymer hybrid adsorbents have been widely investigated, and their efficacies in metal ion removal are attributed to the formation of a stronger chemical bonding between Mn+ and, for example, amine motifs in the hybrid materials.
Recently, research has focused on the syntheses of zwitterionic cross-linked inorganic/organic hybrid materials for the removal of heavy metal ions via electrostatic effects. A titania-phosphonate hybrid porous material has been found to have a large capacity for selective adsorption of Cd2+ ions. Considerable attention has also been given to the synthesis of chelating agents containing aminomethylphosphonate motifs, owing to their extraordinary chelating properties in extracting heavy metal ions from wastewater. Such materials, however, are not 100% effective in the removal of metal ions and, more importantly, are extremely difficult and costly to synthesize.
Thus, a cross-linked polyphosphonate-sulfone composition for removal of metal ions from wastewater solving the aforementioned problems is desired.